Stock-car



' Nrrai STATES PATENT O-Frreet- GEORGE F. OEHRL, OF BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA.

STOCK-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentlNo. 253,418, dated February 7, 1882.

4 Application filed December 15, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 7

Beit known that I, GEORGE F. OEHRL, of Belle Vernon, in the county of Fayette and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and Improved Cattle-Oar, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The objectof my invention is to provide a new and improved cattle-car which can be converted from a single to a doubledeck car, and vice versa, very rapidly and conveniently.

The invention consists ina cattle-car con structed with a vertically-adjustable platform provided with guide-rollers r'unning in-grooved vertical tracks,-which platform can be raised or lowered by means of chains attached to this platform and to shafts journaled in the top of the car. When in alowered position the platform rests on suitable fixed supports projecting from the inner sides of the car and on removable cattle-guards in the doorways, and when raised is supported by pivoted L-shaped latches. The car is provided on each side with two independent gates, one above the other.

Reference isto be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a sectional plan view of my im proved cattle-car. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal elevation of the same, parts being shown in section, the movable floor being lowered. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation of the same, showing the movable floor raised.

A movable platform, A, fitting closely in the inside of the car B, is composed of two equal sections, A A which overlap each other at their rabbeted meeting edges, which are held together by screw-bolts a passing vertically through these rabbeted edges. The platform is provided on the upper side and along the longitudinal edges with a series of rollers or pulleys, O, fitting in vertical grooved tracks D on the inner sides of the car, these tracks extending from about the middle of the height of the car to the top of the same. L-shaped hooks E are attached to the ends of the transverse beams 12 of the platform A, with one of the shanks projecting downward, which downwardly-projecting shanks pass down between the inner sides of the walls of the car and horizontal rods F, held a short distance from the car by projecting hooks or bolts G, on which rods the platform Arests when lowered. The middle of the platform A (or the meeting ends of the sections A. A rests on heavy cattleguards H, placed in the doorways and resting on L or V shaped or other suitable hooks, J, projecting inwardly from the doorway-standards c 0- At their outer edges these cattleguards H are each provided in their upper surface with a groove, 07, corresponding with the grooves 01 of the ways K, for the upper sliding gates, L, the ways projecting from the outer sides of the car.

The gate of my improved car is composed of an upper gate, L, and a lower gate, M, which are preferably arranged to slide, but may be hit] ged, if desired. From themiddle transverse roof-beam of the car a journaled rod, N, extends directly under the ridge of the roof to each end of the car, from which these rods N project, and .are each provided at their outer end with a hand-wheel, O, and a ratchet and pawl, P. A series of chains, R, preferably three for each section A A are attached to these rods N and to the sections A A along the middle longitudinal line. When raised the platform A rests on pivoted L-shaped pins or latches S on the inner sides of the car.

I have described my invention as applied to acattlecar, but freight-cars can be constructed ina like manner.

The platform is adjusted in the following manner: If large-sized stock-such as cattle or horsesis to be transported, the platform A is raised to the upper part of the car by turning the hand-wheel 0 and winding the chains R on the shafts or rods N, and when this platform is in the raised position the L-shaped pins or latches S are swung outward, so that the platform A can rest on them The cattle-guard H is removed while loading, and then replaced, and the sliding doors L and M are closed. It small-sized stock-such as hogs or sheep-is to be transported, the bolts S are. swung back and the platform A is lowered until the same rests on the rods F, the hooks E passing in betracks D, guide the platform and cause it to slide smoothly.

As circumstances may require, the car can be converted from a single deck to a double deck car, and vice versa, very easily and rapidly, and the car can thus be adapted to its various purposes.

The platform A can be made in one section, but I prefer to make it of the two sections A A While one compartment is being loaded the gate of the other can be closed, so that none of the animals can escape.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. The combination, with the car B and the horizontal rods F, held a short distance from the inner sides of the car, of the vertically-sliding platform A, provided with the l -shaped hooks E on its underside, and means for raising'and lowering said platform, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

I 2. ThecombinationwiththecarB,the tracks D, and horizontal rods F, secured to the inner sides of the car, of the vertically-sliding platform A, provided with the rollers U and the hooks E, and means for raising and lowering said platform, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.- 1

3. The combination, with the car B, provided with the tracks D, of the vertically-slidin g platform A, provided with the rollers O, the pivoted l '-shaped hooks S, and means for raising and lowering said platform, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with the vertically-sliding platform A, the doorway-standards 0, and the sliding gate L, of the cattle-guards H, having the outer edges grooved, and the hooks J, secured to the said standards, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination, with the car B, provided with the tracks D, of the platform A, provided with the rollers O, the longitudinal rod N, the hand-Wheel O, the pawl and ratchet P, and the chains R, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE F. OEHRL.

Witnesses:

W. L. S. WILsoN, P. DEWAR. 

